Free buses and atmospheric pollution: Pirrone’s opinion

“The german proposal to allow free use of public transport to citizenship is certainly a fair measure – the Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution of the CNR Nicola Pirrone comments – i only hope it will work. This would deprive citizens of the excuse of the ticket cost, but the economic sustainability of such a provision shall be checked. Moreover, it would take time for people to get used not to rely on their own car anymore”.
How about Italy? “We could start with some sample cities, but compared to Germany, we are lagging behind in terms of infrastructure. I would rather put the substantial investments needed to carry out such an initiative in the metro lines and into less polluting buses “.
Mobilitaria 2018 – Tomorrow the report on air quality and mobility of large Italian cities will be presented: what does this research say?
“In ten years, since 2006, an improvement on air quality can be seen, but several critical issues persist, such as the overflow of PM10 daily limits in some cities. This is why ‘ecological Sundays’ have been invented, but they remain a temporary solution”. The smog emergency has therefore not been resolved. “The structural problem has not been solved, a period of high pressure it is enough to exceed the limits. To tackle air pollution – Pirrone concludes – an extraordinary plan is needed on all levels, from local authorities to the Government, with a mix of measures, including an increased numbers of cycle paths, the decarbonisation of heating systems, and the upgrading of transports. With a plan implemented in a serious and widespread way, we will be able to see the results within five years”.